After browsing through all the responses, I'd have to say that most people would think I was one of those Catholics who attend Mass once in a blue moon.

I didn't attend my first RCIA program always on time and eventually left before it ended so that small group (aside from the deacon who ran it) probably thought I gave up. But in truth, I waited 2 hours at the bus stop to take a one hour bus trip (my only form of transportation) which almost always arrived late. Then, I fell ill. The only way I managed to finish RCIA was because a sister heard of my situation and made a special arrangement for me in private.

As for Mass, I don't usually go to the parish I belong to every Sunday. I used to, including daily Mass, but I stopped not long after I was received into the Church. Several people know me there (including the priest who witnessed my baptism and confirmation) and they're usually surprised when they see me. But I actually go to a different parish because it worked better with my new work schedule.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to correct that misconception when I'm too busy to stop and chat.

So unless you're blessed with the ability to read people's hearts, appearances can be quite misleading.

By that logic, how can we know that you are an expert on the faith? Or that anyone should listen to you? Or that your age is an issue?

"most catholics"? You know this how?

Peace,
Ed

lol i never claimed to be an "expert" on the faith. notice how i directed him towards Jesus and the church. we shouldnt try to model our behavoir, our likes and dislikes, on other catholics. instead we should listen directly to God and the church. we all have our diverse tastes because we come from diverse backgrounds. therefore we should try to incorporate the basic rules of the church into our lives, but we shouldnt look to other catholics. dont worry about others, just listen to God.

I am a convert to the Catholic faith. I converted from nothing. i was not raised an atheist, but i was raised by parents who do not attend church even though they believe and talk about Christ. I grew up living the party lifestyle, and up until my conversion never had much interest in religion. At times in my life I have been an atheist.

As someone coming from this background that I guess is best described as very worldly and at times decadent. I feel very at home and very uncomfortable in the church all at the same time. I love the beauty and richness of the faith. Contraception is the only teaching I have ever struggled to believe. At the same time that I am in love with the faith, being around people who have been part of the church since their youth makes me feel uneasy. It seems like you can never have a true open and honest conversation with these people, and it feels like they can never understand what you feel and where you are coming from. I respect these people, but they strike me as too judgemental of people outside the church. Many times it feels as if they are putting on an act and you never really get to know the real them with all their warts, which for me makes discussing the faith feel like a dead and boring discussion in which I can't wait to just leave and go home. I never see any of these people volunteer in the ministries that reach out to the community and help those in need. It is as if this type of a catholic loves to just live in the church and want credit for not doing things that the commandments teach us we are not supposed to do any way. You might refer to them as Catholics who only associate with other Catholics.

Does anyone else share these feeling or have any insight into why I feel this way? I do love the faith! I just feel so disconnected from those who grew up never questioning it much and going on retreats, participating in teen ministry, etc. I feel like the church needs a group for people who have just completed RCIA and came to the church through a life of struggling with atheism, and being active participants in what John Paul II calls the culture of death.

I became a christian in 2001 after years of partying and hedonism. I became catholic in 2005. from my experience I felt that it was the cradle protesants couldn't related to me
because they had better life experiences than me. I actually relate better to cradle
catholics. I find myself getting bothered by catholics who are ignorant,hostile, or take their
religion for granted. As for catholics who don't volunteer much, my church is a downtown parish, where the majority of the parishioners come from the suburbs. So there aren't many chances to volunteer. I also will be honest enough to admit that mentally I have problems that keep locked in my own little world. It's not that I'm not willing, the heart is willing, but the flesh is week.

__________________"man's mind is so formed that it is far more susciptible to falsehood than to the truth."-Desiderius Erasmus